PEORIA – Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois businesses and individuals who file monthly, quarterly or annual returns and have been impacted by the flooding will have until Oct. 31 to file tax returns that were due on or after April 19. The extended deadline will provide much-needed relief for individuals and local businesses trying to file their returns or payments on time while recovering from the flood.

“Families and businesses across Illinois need time to focus on rebuilding their businesses, homes and lives,” Governor Quinn said. “Once families have recovered, they can pull together the necessary paperwork to file and pay their taxes.”

Taxpayers who opt to mail their deferred returns and payments should write Flood – April 2013 on the outside of the envelope in red ink and on the top of each page of the tax filing, so the account can be updated and handled appropriately. Filers using My Tax Illinois or WebFile will be provided instructions when they file their returns so that no late fees or penalties will be billed to their accounts. For questions, the Illinois Department of Revenue has set up a mailbox dedicated to the flood issue: REV.FloodApr2013@illinois.gov.

“While we encourage individuals and businesses to bring their tax filings up to date as soon as their lives return to normal, we hope this deferred payment option is helpful to Illinois families and businesses,” Revenue Director Brian Hamer said.

The tax relief will help individuals and local businesses, such as hardware stores struggling to meet customer needs while cleaning up after the flood; they will be able to focus on their customers and will have extra time to file and pay the sales taxes they collect. Individuals and businesses who normally file quarterly returns won’t have the pressure to file those returns or payments while trying to recover from the flood. Distributors driving through flooded streets to get motor fuel to gas stations will have extra time to pay the taxes they owe.

Since Thursday, Governor Quinn has surveyed damage on the ground and from the air and met with local officials in some of the hardest hit communities, including Elmhurst, Des Plaines, River Forest, Bellwood, Riverside, Moline, Quincy, Bartonville, North Aurora, Marseilles, Ottawa, North Utica, Morris and Meredosia.

Personnel from FEMA, IEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and local emergency management agencies will begin assessing damage to homes and businesses in Cook, DuPage and Lake Counties on April 29. The teams will move to other affected counties as floodwaters recede so they are able to accurately assess the damage. Governor Quinn has declared a total of 44 counties state disaster areas.

The state disaster declaration makes available a wide variety of state resources that can help affected communities respond and recover from flooding. It came after assessments by emergency officials and the governor, and begins the process of securing federal relief.

As of today, the state has fulfilled more than 140 requests for assistance from counties including:

Department of Transportation

·More than 240 IDOT personnel and 160 trucks and equipment have been deployed to deliver sandbags, plastic, pumps, hoses, trucks and drivers to communities and assist with debris removal.

·Conducting flyovers of flooded areas for situational awareness.

·Providing guidance to communities on pumping equipment needs.

Department of Corrections

·Nearly 570 offenders have filled and placed sandbags in several communities, logging more than 5,700 hours.

·More than 1,140 offenders at IDOC correctional facilities have worked around the clock to fill more than 140,000 sandbags since April 19.

Department of Natural Resources

·DNR boats and conservation police officers have assisted with home and medical evacuations, transportation, river rescues, missing person searches and other flood-related responses.

·Coordinating requests for assistance from affected counties with state resources.

Illinois National Guard

·UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and two crew members assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with overflight of the Des Plaines and Little Calumet Rivers to survey integrity of flood control systems and infrastructure.

Illinois State Police

·Continue to assist motorists and local public safety agencies with flood-related issues.

Department of Public Health

·Provided information on tetanus shots to local public health departments, hospitals and medical offices.

·Arranged for the delivery of seven port-a-potties to support workers at two sandbagging sites.

·Procured sandbags, plastic and work gloves to support local sandbagging operations.

Governor Quinn activated the State Incident Response Center on Thursday to coordinate the deployment of state personnel and assets to assist local governments in the affected areas. The state’s flood response is coordinated by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.